Adapter for cutting tooth

ABSTRACT

An adapter for use in mounting a cutting tooth onto a mounting block. The adapter has two opposed sides with a first groove on one side for receiving a leading portion of the mounting block and a second groove on the other side opposite the one side for receiving a portion of the cutting tooth. The first and second grooves are aligned. The adapter has a fastening hole there through in the grooves, the hole transverse to the sides of the adapter. The fastening hole is used in fastening the tooth to the mounting block with the adapter sandwiched between the tooth and mounting block.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

This invention is directed toward an adapter for use in mounting a cutting tooth used on a rotating cutting head. The invention is also directed toward a cutting tooth mounting assembly for use on a rotating cutting head.

2. Background Art

Rotating cutting heads, such as heads on brush cutters, have a plurality of cutting teeth mounted over the surface of the head. Each tooth is detachably mounted on a mounting block which block in turn is fixedly mounted on the surface of the cylindrical head of the cutter. The tooth is normally fixed by a bolt directly to the block so it can be easily replaced if damaged or broken. The cutting heads often operate in an environment where rocks or boulders are present and these rocks or boulders are frequently hit by the cutting head. These hits can severely damage the cutting teeth and/or the mounting blocks on the head. The damaged teeth are relatively expensive to replace and the mounting blocks, if damaged, are even more expensive to replace since they are normally welded onto the drum.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide an adapter which can be mounted between the tooth and the mounting block when mounting the tooth on the block. The adapter is relatively inexpensive and is made of material allowing it to deform more readily than the tooth or block if the assembly strikes a rock or similar hard object. If a rock is struck, it is more likely that the softer adapter will be damaged or deformed rather than the harder tooth or mounting block and the inexpensive adapter can be readily replaced.

It is another purpose of the present invention to provide a tooth mounting The front side 13 of the mounting block 3 is located within the first groove 65 of the adapter 51 against the web 69. The cutting tooth 27 is then mounted on the front of the adapter 51 with the side walls 79 of the second groove 67 adjacent the sides 41 of the tooth 27 when the tooth is mounted in the second groove 67. The back 33 of the mounting portion 29 of the tooth is against the web 69. The bottom end edge 35 of the tooth 27 rests on the step 11 to align its hole 39 with the other holes 71, 21. Both the adapter 51 and the tooth 27 are located between the stop rib 15 on the step 11 of the block 3 and the front side 13 of the block.

In the assembled mounting, a bolt 83 is passed from the block through the aligned holes and into the threaded hole 55 on the tooth to securely join the adapter and tooth onto the block. When the tooth 27 is mounted on the block 3, via the adapter 51, the cutting portion 31 of the tooth extends slightly above the block and the adapter. The adapter 51 aligns the tooth 27 with the front side 13 of the mounting block.

The adapter 51 is made of slightly softer material than the material the tooth 27 and mounting block 3 are made of. The adapter 51 can be made of 44W, ASTM-A36, AISI 4140 or C-1020 steel having a hardness of between 25-35 RC. The tooth 27 is normally made of A2, A8 or 5160 steel heat treated to a hardness of 45-47 RC. The block 3 is made of high carbon steel such as Scandia High-Tuff or Scandia 100 having a hardness of 40-42 RC.

If the assembled mounting on the cutter head hits a rock or boulder during operation of the head, the softer adapter will often deform before the tooth or the block are damaged. The cutting tooth may be slightly displaced when the adapter is deformed but would still be operational though not as efficiently. The deformed adapter can be easily replaced. The replacement adapter correctly realigns the cutting tooth with the mounting block for maximum efficiency. The adapters are relatively inexpensive compared to the teeth or the block so considerable savings can be achieved by the using the adapters without lowering the efficiency of the machine. assembly for mounting cutting teeth on a cutter head which mounting assembly reduces damage to the teeth and blocks during operation and reduces the operating cost of the machine. The mounting assembly has a mounting block fixedly mountable on the cylindrical surface of a brush cutter drum, the mounting block having a front side. A thin adapter is detachably mounted on the front side of the block and a cutting tooth is detachably mounted against the adapter, the adapter aligning the tooth with the front side of the block. The tooth is fastened to the block with a bolt, the bolt passing through the adapter.

The adapter is formed on one side to securely fit on the front of the mounting block over its front side and on its other side to securely position the tooth so it is aligned with the front side of the block adjacent to but not against the front side of the block. The adapter, made of softer material than the cutting tooth or the block, is more likely to be damaged than the tooth or the block if the tooth hits something during operation of the machine. The adapter is however easily replaced if damaged.

The invention is particularly directed toward an adapter for use in mounting a cutting tooth onto a mounting block. The adapter has two opposed sides with a first groove on one side for receiving a leading portion of the mounting block and a second groove on the other side opposite the one side for receiving a portion of the cutting tooth. The first and second grooves are aligned. The adapter has a fastening hole there through in the grooves, the hole transverse to the sides, for use in fastening the tooth to the mounting block with the adapter sandwiched between.

The invention is also directed toward a cutting tooth mounting assembly for a cutter having a cylindrical cutting head. The mounting assembly has a mounting block with a bottom side for mounting against the surface of the cutting head and a front side. The mounting assembly includes a plate-like cutting tooth having a mounting portion with a flat side and a cutting portion bent from one end of the mounting portion terminating in a cutting edge. The mounting assembly also has an adapter with two opposed sides, the adapter having a first groove on one side adapted to snugly receive a front portion of the block with the front side of the block against the bottom of the first groove. The adapter has a second groove on the other side opposite the one side to snugly receive part of the mounting portion of the tooth with its flat side against the bottom of the groove. The grooves are aligned to align the flat side of the tooth with the front side of the block. A mounting bolt passing through the adapter holds the tooth securely against the adapter and the adapter securely against the mounting block.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the mounting assembly;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the mounting assembly looking at it from the front; and

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the mounting assembly looking at it from the back.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The mounting assembly 1 of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, includes a mounting block 3 having a bottom side 5, slightly concave, by means of which it is attached to the surface 7 of a cylindrical, rotatable, cutter head 9. The mounting block 3 is attached, usually by welding, to the surface 7 to be transverse to the longitudinal, rotational axis of the cylindrical head 9. The mounting block 3 has a step 11 just above the front of the bottom side 5 and a front side 13 extending up from the step 11. A stop rib 15 can extend up from the step 11, spaced from the front side 13 and parallel to it. The block has a back side 17 extending up from the rear of the bottom side 5. The back side 17 can be parallel to the front side 13. A top side 19, which angles upwardly, joins the top of back side 17 to the top of the front side 13. A bolt hole 21 extends through the block from the back side 17 to about the center of the front side 13. When the block 3 is mounted on the cutter head 9, the front side 13 is normally angled forwardly.

The mounting assembly 1 includes a plate-like cutting tooth 27 having a straight, lower mounting portion 29 and an upper cutting portion 31 bent from one end of the mounting portion 29. The back 33 of the mounting portion 29 is flat. The free end of the cutting portion 31 terminates in a cutting edge 35. The free end of the mounting portion 29 terminates in a straight end edge 37. The tooth 27 preferably tapers in width from the cutting edge 35 to the end edge 37. A threaded mounting hole 39 extends through the mounting portion 29, the hole 39 centered between the sides 41 of the tooth 27 and slightly closer to the end edge 37 than to the cutting portion 31.

The mounting assembly 1 also includes a thin, generally rectangular, adapter 51 adapted to be placed between the tooth 27 and the mounting block 3 when the tooth is mounted on the block. The adapter 51 has top and bottom ends 53, 55, sides 57, 59 and front and back faces 61, 63. The top end 53 can be angled down from the front face 61 to the back face 63, and the lower portion of the sides 57, 59 can taper inwardly if desired. The back face 63 has a shallow first mounting groove 65 extending between the top and bottom ends 53, 55 sized and shaped to snugly receive the front portion of the mounting block 3. A shallow, second mounting groove 67 on the front face 61 extends between the top and bottom ends 53, 55 sized and shaped to snugly receive the mounting portion 29 of the tooth 27. A relatively thin web 69 separates the two mounting grooves 65, 67. A mounting hole 71 extends through the web 69. The mounting grooves 65, 67 are aligned and are nearly as wide as the front and back faces 61, 63 of the adapter.

To assemble the mounting assembly 1, the mounting block 3 is welded to the surface of the cutter head via its bottom side 5. The adapter 51 is placed on the front portion of the mounting block 3 with the side walls 75 of the first groove 65 adjacent the sides 77 of the mounting block 3. The bottom end 55 of the adapter 51 rests on the step 11 to align the hole 71 in the adapter with the hole 21 in the block 3. 

1. An adapter for use in mounting a cutting tooth onto a mounting block, the adapter having two opposed sides with a first groove on one side for receiving a leading portion of the mounting block and a second groove on the other side opposite the one side for receiving a portion of the cutting tooth, the first and second grooves aligned; the adapter having a fastening hole there through in the grooves, the hole transverse to the sides, for use in fastening the tooth to the mounting block with the adapter sandwiched between.
 2. An adapter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adapter has opposed top and bottom ends, the grooves extending over the length of the adapter between its ends.
 3. An adapter as claimed in claim 2 wherein the second groove tapers from the top end to the bottom end.
 4. An adapter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adapter is made of steel having a hardness ranging between 25 and 35 RC.
 5. An adapter as claimed in claim 2 wherein the adapter is made of steel having a hardness ranging between 25 and 35 RC.
 6. An adapter as claimed in claim 3 wherein the adapter is made of steel having a hardness ranging between 25 and 35 RC.
 7. A cutting tooth mounting assembly for a cutter having a cylindrical cutting head, the assembly having a mounting block with a bottom side for mounting against the surface of the cutting head and a front side; a plate-like cutting tooth having a mounting portion with a flat side and a cutting portion bent from one end of the mounting portion terminating in a cutting edge; an adapter having two opposed sides with a first groove on one side adapted to snugly receive a front portion of the block with the front side of the block against the bottom of the first groove and a second groove on the other side opposite the one side to snugly receive part of the mounting portion of the tooth with its flat side against the bottom of the second shallow groove; the grooves aligned to align the flat side of the tooth with the front side of the block; and a mounting bolt holding the tooth securely against the adapter and the adapter securely against the mounting block.
 8. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the block has a step extending forwardly from the bottom of the front side of the block toward the front of the bottom side, the mounting portion of the cutting tooth, and the adapter, resting on the step.
 9. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein there is a stop on the step spaced from the front side of the block, the mounting portion of the cutting tooth and the adapter snug between the stop and the front side of the block.
 10. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the adapter has opposed top and bottom ends, the grooves extending over the length of the adapter between its ends.
 11. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein the adapter has opposed top and bottom ends, the grooves extending over the length of the adapter between its ends.
 12. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the width of the tooth tapers from its cutting edge to its other end and the second groove in the adapter also tapers from the top to the bottom.
 13. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein the width of the tooth tapers from its cutting edge to its other end and the second shallow groove in the adapter also tapers from the top to the bottom.
 14. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the hardness of the adapter is substantially less than the hardness of the mounting block and the cutting tooth.
 15. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein the hardness of the adapter is substantially less than the hardness of the mounting block and the cutting tooth.
 16. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the hardness of the adapter is between 25 and 35 RC; the hardness of the cutting tooth is between 45 and 47 RC and the hardness of the mounting block is between 40 and 42 RC.
 17. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein the hardness of the adapter is between 25 and 35 RC; the hardness of the cutting tooth is between 45 and 47 RC and the hardness of the mounting block is between 40 and 42 RC. 